Despite all my years of living in Pattaya, I've never gotten Dengue Fever (at least so far) and I personally know only one farang who ever has - and that happened to him in Bangkok, not Pattaya.

Obviously I wouldn't want it, but I'm also not afraid of it - and mosquitoes can carry many more diseases than Dengue Fever.

Meanwhile, despite the rain this season I'm not noticing more than the usual mosquito population. I also don't notice any spray trucks coming around unless they come in the dead of night when I'm asleep.

If you take normal precautions you're unlikely to end up with Dengue Fever. However, if you do start getting any symptoms, get to a doctor - quick - and start getting proper treatment._______________________________________________

Chonburi dengue cases up 31%, Pattaya 2nd most cases

By Warapun Jaikusol

August 17, 2018

Already declared a red zone for dengue fever, the Pattaya area already has seen 31% more cases reported this year than in all of 2015, the last time the number of cases reached a critical level.

The Banglamung Health Department told an Aug. 4 meeting of the district’s village health volunteers that 46,000 cases have been reported in Chonburi Province this year, compared with 35,000 in all of 2015. More than 50,000 total cases are expected by year-end.

Banglamung and Pattaya have the second-most reported cases, the department noted. First is Koh Sichang while third place is held by Ban Bung.

The health department said it is aggressively working to destroy breeding grounds for the disease-carrying Aedes mosquito and instructed village volunteers to tour their neighbors twice weekly to put abate in water sources.

Volunteers complained people are either ignorant of the problem or don’t care, doing nothing with the abate after receiving it. The only time people take action, they said, is if a neighbor gets sick or dies.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is characterized by a fever that lasts from 2 to 7 days, with general signs and symptoms consistent with dengue fever. When the fever declines, warning signs may develop. This marks the beginning of a 24 to 48 hour period when the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) become excessively permeable (“leaky”), allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels into the peritoneum (causing ascites) and pleural cavity (leading to pleural effusions). This may lead to failure of the circulatory system and shock, and possibly death without prompt, appropriate treatment. In addition, the patient with DHF has a low platelet count and hemorrhagic manifestations, tendency to bruise easily or have other types of skin hemorrhages, bleeding nose or gums, and possibly internal bleeding.

Treatment

There is no specific medication for treatment of a dengue infection. Persons who think they have dengue should use analgesics (pain relievers) with acetaminophen and avoid those containing ibuprofen, Naproxen, aspirin or aspirin containing drugs. They should also rest, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, avoid mosquito bites while febrile and consult a physician.

As with dengue, there is no specific medication for DHF. If a clinical diagnosis is made early, a health care provider can effectively treat DHF using fluid replacement therapy. Adequate management of DHF generally requires hospitalization.